Nine bizMIX entrepreneurs took home over $1,000 in prizes, while two amazing companies took home $10,000 apiece in cash for their business plans

In April, 12 amazing teams of entrepreneurs were selected to compete in months of bizMIX, accelerating their startups, resulting in nine businesses vying for over $50,000 in cash and prizes. Each of these entrepreneurs took on two pitch contests and three big nights of mentorship and engagement in building their business.

After being put through a number of challenges, these startups submitted their business plans and nine teams made final presentations at Thornburg Mortgage in front a panel of expert business judges. Mentor nights throughout the summer were hosted by Body Santa Fe, Beestro, and Santa Fe Art Institute.

Awardees were presented with the results of their work on August 18 at New Mexico Hard Cider, welcomed by 2013 bizMIX winner and CEO, Craig Moya, who congratulated them on their next adventures. Judges awarded over $1,000 in prizes to every presenter. Grand prize winners were PERK, founded by Jakub Svec, a company focusing on producing an accessible high precision coffee brewing machine for the Third Wave coffee market, and Nature Camp Goods + Apparel, founded by Joshua Martin and Julie Weinstein, a company combine decades of experience in business operations and fundraising with a passion for art and design in their new brand of sustainable leather and vegan goods. Beginning with a signature footwear design, Nature Camp will utilize modern distribution models and social media to manufacture and market a simple, stylish, and sustainable lifestyle brand. Each business was awarded $10,000 apiece.

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Sponsors contributing to the investments of these companies are the City of Santa Fe, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Santa Fe County, Gemini Rosemont Realty, Thornburg Investment Management, Christus Health Plan, Five & Dime General Store, Christus St. Vincent, PNM, Santa Fe Community Foundation, Positive Energy Solar, Los Alamos National Bank, Bank of Albuquerque, New Mexico Bank and Trust, Century Bank, Los Alamos National Security, and Slazer Technologies. Their contributions allow bizMIX to be the premier accelerator for pre-revenue businesses in Santa Fe, providing $20,000 in capital to newly seeded business ventures.img_3402

One business, Flour & Water, stated they weren’t going to make it to the final presentation because they had found the funding they would need to start their business. Congrats and best of luck!

bizMIX of MIX Santa Fe successfully completed its fifth year of the program, taking it to new heights in continuing to expand its reach in community spaces and new and incredible sponsors who invested in and hosted the program.


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Congrats to our 2016 bizMIX Class! Here are all of the ideas that made it into our program:

  • Cacao, the Art & Culture of Chocolate is an Experience of chocolate beyond the wrapper. Offering hands- on Chocolate Culinary workshops and history, farming and manufacturing chocolate from the bean through finished indulgence we are a vertically integrated chocolate company.
  • SuccessStyle is women helping women, offering “Closet Editing” services, collaborating with women to streamline their wardrobes. Women entering or re-entering the workforce have access to through workshops, mentoring and coaching, and a special “Starter Kit” of work-ready clothing. SuccessStyle: Edit, Educate and Empower.
  • Perk is a company focusing on producing an accessible high precision coffee brewing machine for the Third Wave coffee market.
  • Health Harmonixx is an innovative healthcare app that allows people to search by symptom and receive a compilation of effective alternative solutions ranging from acupressure points and herbs to biohacking techniques and lifestyle changes. Additionally, the app will connect people interested in a subspecialty with local practitioners and products.
  • Stalworth Shoes and Boots is a shoemaking workshop and showroom providing sustainably made, handcrafted custom and ready-to-wear footwear for men and women as well as classes in footwear design and construction.
  • Flour & Water is a bakery bringing high-quality, affordable and organic San Francisco sourdough and Jewish comfort food (bagels, bialys and babka, oh my) to Santa Fe.
  • Wildist is building a platform that solves the problem of locating, filtering, researching discovering a wide variety outdoor activities.  The platform aims to do for outdoor recreation what Zillow.com has done for real estate.
  • Nature camp goods + apparel combine decades of experience in business operations and fundraising with a passion for art and design in their new brand of sustainable leather and vegan goods. Beginning with a signature footwear design, Nature Camp will utilize modern distribution models and social media to manufacture and market a simple, stylish, and sustainable lifestyle brand.
  • Turtle Rock Foods, LLC is a local food waste processing business, that is, a business that takes leftovers from farmers’ markets, seconds, trimmings and scraps from processing for harvest and turns these products into nutritious RTE and RTD foods.
  • Kiksuyapi Collections is integrating traditional talent and contemporary innovation. Kiksuyapi Collections produces Native American, laser-etched designs. “Kiksuyapi,” meaning “remember,” promotes the visibility of Native-based contributions to the City of Santa Fe, and provides a portion of profits to the assistance of Native American entrepreneurs and scholars.
  • Bolt gives access to zero-emission rides whenever you need them. Use the smartphone app to find a ride in seconds. Pay-as-you-ride or pay a monthly membership fee.
  • Matron Records is an independent record label dedicated to supporting experimental artists in Santa Fe, NM. It is a dynamic and community-focused venture that addresses both local and industry needs with ingenuity and resourcefulness. By way of the City Different, Matron Records is truly a different kind of label.
bizMIX News | September 16th 2016

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